Steelers QB Ben Roethlisberger - 10/31

Steelers QB Ben Roethlisberger speaks with the New York Media

Q: How would you have seen yourself over here playing for the Giants?A: I don’t know if they would have taken me, but I felt like I… We kind of thought that was an option and would have been excited and ready to go, but there was so much… Everything that happened was kind of crazy and I think that if you ask any of the three quarterbacks, I’m sure we’re all pretty happy with where we are.

Q: What do you think of when you look at the Giants defense, especially the opportunistic nature in terms of forcing turnovers?A: That’s just it. Getting after the ball and turning the ball over. They’ve got a crazy amount of turnovers, interceptions. I think that stat usually goes to the back end, the guys intercepting it, the DBs and stuff, but I think you have to give a lot of credit and we’re going to give a lot of attention to the front four, really kind of front six, seven that they rotate in and linebackers because they’re the ones that create a lot of those turnovers with pressure on the quarterback and I don’t know if they always get the credit for those turnovers, but a lot of times it’s because of them.

Q: Do you find yourself following what Eli does and is there a fraternity amongst you guys?A: 100 percent. I think early on for me, it was more wanting to do better than him and I don’t want to say animosity, but he was the number one pick and I think as a guy that’s not picked number one or anytime someone is picked ahead of you, you want to beat that guy out. But as I’ve gotten older, it’s more neat to see his success, to see him getting two Super Bowls because I think it just adds to the legacy of our draft class and all four quarterbacks, Matt Schaub, Philip, myself and Eli that were drafted there. I hope that we can play well enough that one day they talk about us as maybe the best quarterback draft class of all-time.

Q: Do you think it’s a shame that you guys meet once every four years? It would be quite a rivalry.A: It would be. He’s obviously a great player and it would be fun to play him, but I think you lose the fact that it’s not him versus me. It’s their team versus our team and I think he’ll tell you the same thing.

Q: Every time Brady plays Peyton, people talk about it, too.A: Yeah, I know they do.

Q: Do you look at the receivers in this game as having some similarities in terms of the big playmaking ability?A: Absolutely. Everyone knows about their receiving corps and what they’ve done, what they can do. Just an exciting group of guys for both teams. I don’t want to speak for Eli, but for me, it’s get the ball in their hands and watch what they can do.

Q: Are you guys looking to get over the hurdle of winning on the road?A: Absolutely. We always take pride in being able to win on the road. We know it’s going to be tough going to New York and playing the Giants in their place, the fans. Obviously kind of not knowing with all this weather and what’s going on with fans and travel… We don’t really know all the things that are going on up there, but it’s always tough to play on the road and we want to try and get this one.

Q: When you talk to defensive players about you, they talk about your elusive ability. How much of a benefit for you has it been that you can elude defenders like you can?A: People always make a big deal about extending plays. I don’t go into a play with the intention of doing that. I think a lot of it is just my competitiveness and not wanting to go down. I think it’s a double-edged sword. I’d like to think that it’s been better for us and not hurt us, but I know it hurt us in the sense that some of those sack numbers and things have been high in the past years because I’ve been trying to extend plays. But that’s just the way I play the game and I can’t really change that too much.

Q: What would you say are the biggest similarities between Eli and yourself?A: I’d like to say that we both can make all of the throws. I don’t think Eli is quite as elusive as I am, but I think he is very slippery. I know that sounds kind of crazy, but he gets out of a lot, as we’ve seen in Super Bowls, that he’s getting out of a lot of sacks and making plays down the field, keeping plays alive and extending them. I don’t think he gets enough credit for that. I think he deserves a lot more.

Q: How would you characterize Todd Haley’s offense and what has the adjustment been like with him?A: I think it’s been good. There’s been a lot of talk and we’re not even sure where it’s come from about us not getting along and things like that, but that’s just people talking. But we get along great. I think we’re doing some great things on offense. We’re learning every day, every week about each other and about other guys on the team and him and I think that it’s been a good relationship and we’re just continuing to grow.

Q: They let Romo pass for more than 400-yards. Do you see opportunities in the passing game for this week?A: I think a lot of that was late in the game. They obviously had a big lead early, turning the ball over. Late in the game, teams are going to throw the ball a lot because they’re trying to get back into the game and that’s usually when a lot of big numbers happen. So I think it’s a little deceiving.